Ayesha Rascoe

I'm here with researcher Eli Stark Elster.

Eli, welcome to the show.

All right, so for years, kids played unsupervised outdoors and spent a lot of time together without adults.

What changed?

So yeah, why did it change?

So it's changed in the physical space.

There's a lot more supervision, but that hasn't translated to a lot of supervision in the digital space.

Why do you think that's the case?

Is it because it's new or because the safeguards don't exist?

Is that the evolution of how children play?

They seek out these spaces because they are less supervised by adults?

Well, how important is it for kids to have those almost adult free zones?

Well, talk to me about some of the online games that kids are using to create their own spaces.

Because the kids in my house, my kids, are constantly like online playing Roblox with each other, playing Minecraft and other games.

But they're playing together.

And what about the socializing element of it?

Because, I mean, my kids do play with each other on the screens.

And even like, I don't know if you know about Toca Boca, but it's like this thing where you get houses and you get characters and you dress them up and stuff.

And they kind of play with them like you would dolls or action figures.

It's just like in the game, you know?